Yes, The Simpsons. I use them in my class in more than one unit. Why? Well, for a couple of reasons. Generally speaking, the kids like them. And they are clever. They take classic pieces of literature (The Raven, The Monkey's Paw, etc.) and adapt them and make them accessible.

I like the students to understand that the things we read aren't "dead," but alive and relevant. They are also part of our shared cultural literacy. I mean, really, can't we agree that most educated adults know about the story of The Monkey's Paw? By seeing these works in other media, the kids start to understand that learning about literature is kind of like joining the "in" crowd, a way into the world of inside jokes and knowing nods around a table.

I also like them to see satire. My students are at an age where their humor is not exactly subtle. So, if they can see humor done well (and it is done well, and often, on the Simpsons), it might help them understand that genre a little as well.

So, it's not Shakespeare. At least, not in this episode. But try it. It's fun.

Seriously, The Simpsons?

Joy: Seriously, The Simpsons?

The Monkey's Paw

The Monkey's Paw

Unit 6: Unlocking Mood and Other Elements of Horror
Lesson 8 of 18

Objective: SWBAT apply their knowledge of foreshadowing to their reading of the text.

I like to kick off this lesson by asking kids a favorite question: If you had three wishes, what would you wish for? (No wishing for more wishes!)

Students say money, ending world hunger, to live forever, etc.

Then, I ask their classmates...could there be a downside to any of these wishes?

Today, the kids had a lot of fun with the second part. Live forever? All of your friends will die. A million dollars? What if you got it in pennies? So, then I challenged them to come up with a wish with no downside. They tried and tried, but their classmates beat them down.

This is such a fun story to read aloud. It is in our literature book, but it is also available online.

We "bumped" the reading around to keep it interesting, and the students did a good job. One thing you might want to mention to the students is that the story is set in England, and you might want to give them some background about the colonial presence of the English in India. This might help them understand the story better. Also, some students may not understand that the "pound" is a term for currency, not weight gain (as one of my students thought.)

Since we have spent a good deal of time talking about foreshadowing, and since the foreshadowing in the story is VERY obvious, I decided to give my students a short, written assessment.

Here is the question: Discuss the author's use of foreshadowing in the story. Identify at least three examples, and provide text support for your choices.

What I was looking for was pretty straightforward: Three examples of foreshadowing (with citations and page numbers) and an intelligent discussion of those examples. I received many good responses. I have included them in Resources, along with a short screencast of me talking through one of them.

In order to drive home the story's theme "Be careful what you wish for" and to underscore the idea that no wish is without the possibility of negative consequences, I showed the students the Simpson's episode that riffs on The Monkey's Paw. In it, Homer uses his final wish to ask for a very specific turkey sandwich, but alas, the turkey is dry.

I had to purchase the episode on Amazon in order to show it. It is in Season 2 of Treehouse of Horror (their annual Halloween special.) However, there is a very short clip available on YouTube:

After we watch the episode, I ask the students to explain why the writers of The Simpsons wrote the scene wherein Homer wishes for the turkey sandwich, only to find out that it was dry. They got it, and they explained that "No wish is completely without negative consequences." Bingo!